Are you feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and out of sorts? While trying to preserve some sense of normalcy during these upside-down days, here are three things that I’m pledging to do daily. Perhaps you would you like to join me? Pray along with online Mass Thanks to the generosity and resourcefulness of our priests, we can […]
What a remarkable time to be alive. I probably don’t need to spend much time explaining our current situation to you; I’m sure by now you’re better-versed in our circumstances than you would ever hope to be. Global pandemic. Shelter-in-place. Quarantine and isolation. The Coronavirus, by threatening to take hundreds of thousands of vulnerable lives, […]
During this period of social distancing we can create intentional communities within our own homes by praying the rosary with loved ones. Check out the Sorrowful Mysteries in the window below or click the button to download your free copy! You can print out a set for each person in your family. Feel free to […]
Mary has appeared over the centuries donning many titles and styles of dresses, always wearing the right outfit for the occasion. While we normally associate blue with Our Lady, she doesn’t always appear in her signature color. Instead, her wardrobe seems to be influenced more by the people to whom she appears and the messages she […]
“Today, beginning the Year 2000, we cannot but wonder about the future: what direction will the great human family take in this new phase of its history?”- St. John Paul II, January 1, 2000 Twenty years later, how has the family evolved? The family is in crisis According to CARA, the number of American Catholics […]
Mary laid Jesus in a manger, a feeding trough, as a hint that one day He would be bread for the world. Moreover, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town whose name means “House of Bread.” Scripture is filled with signs and symbols foreshadowing the Good News of the Gospel. Carefully construed, every detail has […]
Mary’s expectations of God we’re unlimited. She believed and trusted in him completely despite an uncertain future. When the angel Gabrielle says to Mary that “Nothing is impossible with God”, do we really believe it? How high are our expectations of God? God can work miracles if you let him. It doesn’t matter how you […]
Are you afraid of ghosts? What do skeletons and ghosts say about the human person? Today on All Souls Day, just two days after Halloween, Ruah Woods Press invites you to think about your human identity being created in the image and likeness of God. DJ Hueuerman explains… Think of all the decorations you saw […]
Two of my favorite topics – theology and home – have been joined in a new book. Theology of Home: Finding the Eternal in the Everyday is a book that I’ll be giving to my family and friends this Christmas. Visually stunning and rich in content, it’s the kind of book you’ll return to again […]
“We have been praying a decade of the rosary each day with our children (ages 4, 2, and 3 months) for a little more than a year, and this book On a Mission to Love comes at a time when I was looking for ways to add more meaning to the prayers… I look forward […]
Earlier this week the Church celebrated the feast of St. John Paul II. Like many others, I have been reflecting on his life and legacy, on the global impact of his words and actions. The stories, writings, photographs, videos by and about him are almost limitless. Above this whole body of work, one overarching theme […]
This Sunday the Church will canonize Blessed John Henry Newman. Among many things, this soon-to-be saint is well noted for his efforts to restore the authenticity of Catholic education. In a recent article entitled To Restore Integrity: Newman’s Idea of Education, featured in The Catholic Thing, Patrick Rielly describes: “We might explain Newman’s integrity in […]
Have you ever thought of the rosary as Mary’s family album filled with snapshots of her life joined with Jesus? A book of memories, of sorts, recalling both good times and bad. We know from scripture that Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart. (Lk 2:19, 2:51)) The rosary is our invitation […]
One of the handful of incredibly influential changes or additions we’ve made over recent years in living out our Catholic faith has been the daily family Rosary. Yes, daily…as in, every single day, we pray a full 5 decade Rosary with our four small people. I know for some that sounds daunting, or even “holier […]
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate […]
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone As we approach October, the month of the Holy Rosary, we remember and rededicate ourselves to the simple request of Our Lady at Fatima that the whole world recite the Rosary daily for peace in the family and in the world. We may be personally aware of the life-changing power of […]
Forty years ago, today on September 5, 1979 St. John Paul II delivered his first presentation of Theology of the Body (TOB) on St. Peter’s Square in Rome. In the first part of the 20th century the Holy Father observed the growing societal confusion about the meaning of the human person as male and female, […]
By Debbie Staresinic One year ago, this month, Ruah Woods Press released On a Mission to Love: Rosary Meditations for Children and Families. The book has been quite popular and has found its way into Catholic schools and homes around the world. Shortly after its publication, suggestions began coming in to create an app to […]
We asked kids to explain the rosary. Here is what they said. Out the the mouths of babes!
An interview with Debbie Staresinic by The Catholic Woman. What’s your favorite title for Mary? Theotokos. I love this title because it tells us about Mary’s identity and purpose. The Greek translation for Theotokos is “Mother of God” or “God-bearer”. Mary is the Mother of God and her purpose is to bring Him to others. Not […]
Standing on her doorstep with her reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, waving goodbye with that tender loving smile. I drive away wanting to freeze the picture knowing that these moments won’t last forever. I fast forward a year and find myself trying to recapture the memory fading from my mind. […]